IUP, Indiana Regional Medical Center sign clinical training agreement

INDIANA COUNTY, Pa. (WTAJ) — On Tuesday, Indiana University of Pennsylvania and Indiana Area Regional Medical Center (IRMC) signed a clinical training affiliation agreement for students in IUP’s proposed College of Osteopathic Medicine.

IUP’s Council of Trustees endorsed the exploration of a possible development of a college of osteopathic medicine at IUP in December 2022. IUP has formally initiated steps towards accreditation of its proposed College of Osteopathic Medicine from the American Osteopathic Association’s Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation, a three- to five-year process that includes submission of self-studies and a feasibility study, along with site visits.

Securing clinical training sites for students is part of the successful accreditation process. Typically, students in colleges of osteopathic medicine spend the first two years of their education in the classroom; during the third and fourth years, students are based in the community at clinical sites.

“I think today’s announcement is most exciting in that it can be transformative to our community. I believe what it can do for the economics of this region can be really dramatic,” Steve Wolfe IRMC President and CEO said.

The announcement comes at a critical time for the community as many hospitals around the Commonwealth are facing a nursing shortage.

“We absolutely must support the communities that support us. And there is a crisis, as Steve said in Pennsylvania, too many rural residents need medical care and there are too few medical professionals to provide that care,” Dr. Michael Driscoll President of IUP said.

“We believe over the long run, this IUP College of Osteopathic will bring opportunities for rural regions and Indiana, Jefferson, Clearfield and most of western Pennsylvania, the rural regions that desperately struggle to recruit physicians. It’s not an easy undertaking trying to get a physician to some of these remote locations in which practice,” Punxsutawney Hospital President Jack Sisk said.

IUP has a number of clinical experience agreements with IRMC, offering students in both undergraduate and graduate programs real-life experiences with a number of IRMC departments and programs ranging from dietetics to counseling, including with IRMC’s Cardiac Rehabilitation Department.

The first five students in IRMC’s medical technology program, which began in the fall of 2024, come from IUP. IUP students have gained valuable experience that has helped them to meet the requirements for medical school admission through the IRMC pre-med undergraduate summer internship program.

IUP faculty have been part of IRMC’s work in COVID-19 testing, workshops for physicians and nurses through IUP’s “The Performance of Caring” course, and nutrition faculty provided a specialized lifestyle nutrition course for IRMC residents. IUP students are part of IRMC’s Department of Volunteer Services Hospitality Ambassadors Program, providing valuable real-life experience to students and services to IRMC visitors.

The IUP-IRMC Health and Wellness Collaborative annually organizes IUP Day at IRMC and IRMC Day at IUP as part of IUP’s Research Appreciation Week to recognize collaborations and partnerships and opportunities for students. IUP and IRMC jointly present the annual Pennsylvania Mountains Rural Health Conference in celebration of National Rural Health Day; this year’s conference is planned for Nov. 21 at IUP.

“All of this work reflects IUP’s and IRMC’s commitment to jointly and collaboratively support this community and its health care needs,” Dr. Driscoll said. “With today’s agreement, we’re building on that foundation for a health care rural center of excellence.”

“The vitality of community hospitals like IRMC remains a top priority,” said IRMC President and CEO Steve Wolfe. “We must educate and inspire individuals passionate about rural health and wellness. We deeply value our partnership with IUP, and, although our day-to-day missions may differ, our shared goal of advancing community health and nurturing the next generation of leaders and healthcare professionals unites us.”

Dr. Miko Rose was hired as the founding dean of the proposed College of Osteopathic Medicine in November 2023; the hiring of a founding dean is one of the first steps to establishing the college.

“IRMC has always been our home team and an incredibly important partner,” Dr. Rose said.

“IRMC is well positioned to become a true center for rural medicine and a beacon for medical training, and we are very, very pleased that they have agreed to welcome our students through this clinical training agreement,” Rose added.

In July, Dr. Ryan Smith joined the team as the founding associate dean of clinical affairs, responsible for overseeing the clinical curricular areas of the doctor of osteopathic medicine program, including developing clinical training agreements. In August, Dr. Luke H. Mortensen was hired as associate dean of preclinical affairs, responsible for overseeing the pre-clinical curricular areas of the program.

IUP signed its first clinical training affiliation agreement with Punxsutawney Area Hospital in June.

IUP said they chose to explore a proposed College of Osteopathic Medicine based on several factors, including the critical need for rural health care and the ratio of patients to available primary care physicians.

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There are only three colleges of osteopathic medicine in Pennsylvania, all at private universities; IUP’s proposed College of Osteopathic Medicine would be the only college of osteopathic medicine at a public university.

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